Should You Choose Karate, Taekwondo, or Jiu-Jitsu? You’re Asking the Wrong Question.

Every few years, a new martial art rises to cultural prominence. In the 1960s it was Karate. The 1970s brought Kung Fu. The 1980s were all Ninja. Taekwondo had its moment, then Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, then MMA, then Krav Maga. Today Systema is gaining ground.

Each time a new art takes the spotlight, parents come in asking for that specific style — because it’s what they’ve heard about, what they’ve seen on TV, what their neighbor mentioned. It seems like a reasonable starting point.

It isn’t. And understanding why will help you make a much better decision for your child.

Most Martial Arts Are More Alike Than Different

Because the human body can only move in so many ways, most martial arts share a significant overlap in physical technique. If you know Spanish, you can pick up Italian and Portuguese with relatively little effort — the roots are the same. Martial arts are similar. This is why experienced martial artists can hold multiple black belts across different systems: once you understand the underlying principles, learning a related art is a matter of learning the dialect, not an entirely new language.

What varies dramatically between schools is not the style. It is the philosophy, the culture, the quality of instruction, and the values being taught alongside the physical techniques.

What Parents Actually Care About

I’ve taught and trained martial arts around the world. In all that time, I can count on one hand the number of parents who cared more about the specific art than what it could do for their child.

What parents universally care about, in order: their child’s character development, their child’s safety, and — coming in a distant third — the specific martial art. The brand name of the art is almost irrelevant to what actually matters.

The Right Question to Ask

Instead of asking “which martial art should my child study,” ask: what does this school’s curriculum teach beyond physical technique? What is their philosophy? How do they develop character? What are their values, and do they match mine?

Any school should be able to map out your child’s learning path — what they will learn, why they will learn it, and what kind of person they will be becoming along the way. If a school can’t answer those questions, the name of the art they teach is irrelevant.

The biggest mistake you can make is ending up in a school whose values don’t match yours — regardless of what style they advertise on the door.

Choose the teacher. Choose the values. The art will take care of itself.

Also worth reading: The Question Most Martial Arts Schools Can’t Answer

Scornavacco Martial Arts Academy — Longmont, CO